Research on the Impact Mechanism of Knowledge Spillover on the Growth of Small and Medium-sized Sports Enterprises

Background and Aim: In recent years, knowledge spillovers and enterprise innovation have become key drivers of the rapid development of small and medium-sized sports enterprises (SMEs) in China. This study conducted a questionnaire survey of 405 employees from SMEs using the snowball sampling method. The study focuses on how knowledge spillovers affect the development of SMEs in the sports industry and verifies the intrinsic links between knowledge spillovers, product innovation, model innovation, learning organizations, and firm growth variables. Materials and Methods: The study utilized SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0 software for EFA and CFA. Additionally, the research hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling with AMOS 26.0 software. Results: 1) Knowledge spillover, product innovation, model innovation, and learning organization all significantly enhance firm growth. 2)Learning organization, product innovation, and model innovation in SME sports enterprises mediate the effect of knowledge spillover on firm growth. 3)Learning organizations and product innovation, learning organizations, and model innovation in SMEs' sports enterprises jointly mediate the impact of knowledge spillovers on firm growth. 4)The study's results provide an in-depth analysis of how knowledge spillovers affect the development of SMEs through direct and indirect paths. This enriches the theory of sports enterprise development and helps promote enterprise growth. Conclusion: 1) Knowledge spillovers from SMEs directly boost enterprise growth. 2)Knowledge spillovers from SMEs can also indirectly enhance enterprise growth through factors like product innovation, model innovation, and learning organization. 3)Knowledge spillovers can further indirectly facilitate enterprise growth by influencing factors like enterprise learning organization, product innovation, and model innovation.